An explosion in the underground carpark of a Wimbledon shopping centre has seen a man rushed to hospital after suffering burns in the horror incident. The contents of a van exploded when the vehicle struck the roof of a car park at around 10am.
The London Ambulance Service was called at 10.06am on Monday after reports of an explosion on Queens Road, near Wimbledon train station. An ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast-response car and an incident response officer rushed to the scene.
Paramedics from the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) also responded to the incident. The man, believed to be in his 60s, was treated at the scene for burns before being taken to hospital as a priority. Queens Road is closed in both directions between Princes Road and A219 The Broadway, and bus route 200 is currently on a detour.
(Image: lazypilot/Reddit)
A spokesperson for London Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 10.06am on Monday 17 November to reports of an explosion on Queens Road, Wimbledon. We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer.
“We also dispatched paramedics from our hazardous area response team (HART). We treated a man at the scene for burns and took him to hospital as a priority.”
Pictures posted on social media reveal a van with significant damage in the underground car park close to the station. The Wimbledon Quarter shopping centre has since been evacuated following reports the explosion rocked the building from the car park below.
The police said: “At 10.10am on Monday (November 17), officers responded to reports of an explosion on Queens Road, Wimbledon.
“Police, the London Ambulance Service, and the London Fire Brigade attended the scene and found that the contents of a van had exploded after the vehicle is believed to have struck the roof of a car park.”
“Crazy! My other half heard this massive blast while in her car. Cue loads of dust and smoke. Then when exiting the parking saw this. Wild,” wrote one social media user.
Wimbledon Underground station and railway services remain open. Transport for London (TfL) said in a notice: “Buses are diverted via Alexandra Road, Gap Road and Haydons Road, missing the stops from Wimbledon Police Station “J” to Haydons Road Station “HC” towards Mitcham, and from Haydons Road Station “HL” to Wimbledon Police Station “K” towards Raynes Park.”
This is a breaking news story and is being constantly updated. Please refresh the page regularly with the latest news, pictures and videos.
You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters.
Get all the very best headlines, pictures, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following Daily Star every time you see our name.
Follow Daily Star on Android – CLICK HERE
Follow Daily Star on Apple – CLICK HERE
Follow Daily Star on Snapchat – CLICK HERE
You can also sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news by following @starbreaksnews and follow us @dailystar for all the latest updates.
Keep up-to-date with your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at facebook.com/thedailystar.